 92nd Annual Kiwanis International Convention |
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July 3-7, 2007, San
Antonio, Texas Page 2 Page 3 |
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By: Robert Neeld
Greetings from San Antonio! What an interesting day this has
been. It started at 5:00 AM. Most of you know that I am
not accustom to rising this early. But, an 8:00 AM flight
requires my presence at the airport at 6:30 AM. So, I
dutifully set my alarm for 5:00 AM.
When the alarm rang, the first thing I did was check the American
Airlines website for information about my flight. Trudy II
(Hutchinson), whose mother is a flight attendant for American
Airlines, suggested that American was experiencing some on time
troubles and it might be prudent to check for delays before
proceeding to the airport.
Sure enough, the 8:00 AM flight had been delayed until 9:30 AM.
So, I went back to bed. I rose at six o’clock and put away the
clothes I had laid out to wear. I replaced them with my dress
clothes, the ones I intended to wear to the opening session at 4:00
PM. I had a sneaking suspicion that I would not have time to
change. I was right.
The delay leaving RSW meant I would arrive in Dallas/Fort Worth at
11:15 AM. Ouch. My flight from DFW to San Antonio was
scheduled to leave at 11:15 AM. At check-in, I inquired about
the possibility of making the connection in Dallas. Good news.
The San Antonio flight had also been delayed until 11:45 AM. I
had thirty minutes to get to the gate.
I made the connection without incident and arrived in San Antonio
expecting my luggage to still be in Dallas. It, too, had made
the connection. Once I claimed my bags, I headed to the
shuttle launch. I had purchased my round trip airport transfer
at the same time that I purchased my airline ticket. This
turned out to be a colossal mistake. The shuttle was
exceptionally disorganized. No one knew or no one would tell
where to exchange my confirmation for a ticket. Some of my
friends from Florida, who were on the flight with me, took a taxi.
They were loaded and waving goodbye in less than five minutes.
I was still there waiting on the shuttle for 45 minutes. For
those who plan to attend next year’s International Convention, I
recommend that you do not pre-purchase the airport transfer.
Although it costs $8.00 more, the taxi is far more reliable and
convenient.
When I arrived at the hotel, I had just enough time to wash my face,
comb my hair and race to the convention center for the opening
session. The convention center was right across the street
from the hotel. Registration was a breeze. I presented
my registration receipt and in less than two minutes, I had my
registration credentials and all the important scheduling paperwork.
I even had time to wolf down a hot dog – the first food I had
consumed all day. Yuk!
Immediate Past President Steve Siemans is a consummate professional.
Prior to the opening session, he warmed the crowd with a game of
stump the band. Everyone was singing and smiling. I am
pleased to report that the Kiwanis Club of Cape Coral is not the
only club in the word with limited talent. Oh, it was
terrible.
Steve Siemans then introduced our host for the opening session, Jay
Leno (impersonator). The opening session was a take-off of the
Tonight Show. Jay entertained us with a monologue that noted
the recent accomplishments of Kiwanis. Although comical, it
was rewarding to learn about all the good service Kiwanis clubs
around the world have done during the last year.
Jay then introduced Kiwanis International President Nelson Tucker.
Nelson Tucker is a mess. Jay received an emergency phone call
reporting that the air conditioning in the garage where he stores
his cars had failed. He asked Nelson Tucker to take over the
show and things went downhill from there.
Steve Siemans stepped in and recovered our dignity. Together,
Tucker and Siemans interviewed three guests.
The first was Rob Parker, CEO/Executive Director of Kiwanis
International. Mr. Parker was hired last August as the first
CEO/Executive Director in a sweeping reorganization of Kiwanis.
His job, as I understand it, is to implement the directions of the
Kiwanis International Board. Listening to him speak, I was
impressed with the leadership he has demonstrated in the short time
he has been employed. He is moving the Kiwanis into the 21st
century using cutting edge technology and time proven community
service. We now have an auditorium in Indianapolis suitable
for web broadcast and digital reproduction. This offers
significant opportunity for visibility, training and recruiting.
As you know, Kiwanis has a goal of reaching the one million member
mark by September 30, 2015. These resources should go a long
way towards achieving that goal.
The second guest was Cavia Mead. Cavia is a delightful young
man whom I have had the pleasure to hear before. As a member
of the Builders Club in his hometown of Kingston, Jamaica, Cavia
learned leadership and public speaking skills. At the age of
eleven, Cavia was invited to address the Key Club International
Convention in Anaheim, California. I attended that convention
as a member of the Kiwanis Committee on Key Club. I remember
his address to the Key Club students. He was brilliant!
His words inspired the Key Club to rise to a new level of service.
As luck would have it, someone preserved the video of his speech in
2002. It was played, in part, for the crowd here in San
Antonio. His words, once again, inspired all in attendance.
I was so embarrassed for him. Here he is, a handsome young
man, enduring a replay of his speech as an eleven year old.
Poor kid! (I will try to find the video online and post a link
here so that you can enjoy it, too!)
The final guest was Karen Scheeringa. Karen is the founder of
Hearts in Motion, an organization that brings children, primarily
from Central America, to the United States for medical treatment
that is not available in their home country. Since 1982,
Hearts in Motion has brought literally hundreds of disadvantaged
children to the United States for medical treatment. Over the
years, she has adopted eleven of the children. She reports
that there is still room in her heart for more. For her
efforts on behalf of the children of the world, Karen was awarded
the 2007 Kiwanis International World Service Medal.
The session closed with Nelson Tucker and Steve Siemans taking the
Tonight Show back to the days of Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon.
Nelson did his best impersonation of Carnac the Magnificent and
Steve was the ever straight man, Ed McMahon. Nelson is a mess.
He couldn’t seem to deliver the Carnac routine without something
going wrong. He would either open the hermetically sealed
envelope before he divined the answer, or he would literally read
the answer from the outside of the envelope. Everyone was in
stitches and Steve Siemans, the consummate professional, played the
straight man perfectly. A good time was had by all.
Tomorrow, educational forums begin at 9:00 AM. The first House
of Delegates is at 1:30 PM, so we will have a full day again.
Check in for more updates.
